A Fox Between the Bear's Sheets (11 page)

get through it, and made sure that ugly darkness didn’t consume you. Shit, I feel like an accessory to

all the crap that happened with you. Before I met Ary I pushed you guys to be wild, not settle down,

and live life how you wanted and without looking back, but that shit backfired.” Charlie looked at

Ford and then at Bram. Ford knew his older brother was addressing Bram’s need to fight constantly. “I

can say that I felt like you, to a point, when I found Ary. You and your bear have found your mate.”

Charlie’s grim look turned into one of brotherly love. “Don’t run from it, but embrace the feelings

going through you. You have found your mate, Ford, and that is one of the greatest gifts of all.”

Ford was no good for a female, for a mate. He had done a whole lot of shitty stuff in his life,

things he wasn’t proud of, and things he just wanted to forget.

“Well shit.” Bram ran a hand through his hair and looked between them. “Looks like I’ll be the

lone man out.” He leaned back and linked his hands behind his head. “That’s all right with me ‘cause

I’m not looking to settle down anyway. I kind of like having a choice on who I fuck.” Leave it to Bram

to try to put a little humor into their tense, serious conversation. Charlie snorted and poured them

another round of shots.

“All I can say, Ford, is don’t fight it. Get rid of that hatred you have buried deep inside. Let

your bear roam free and experience it with you, and just be glad you found your female. There are a

whole lot of shifters that spend their lives trying to find what you stumbled upon. I tried fighting it

with Ary, and it didn’t help. In fact it made me want her all the more. I felt unstable and on edge. All I

wanted to do was claim her, and there was a point when I worried I would be too rough with her, and

that my bear would take over too aggressively.” Ford took in his brother’s words. “Now I look back

and I can’t see my life without her, and I am damn glad she wants me. The baby will be here in a few

months, and all I keep thinking about is I’m one lucky bastard to have her accept me.”

They threw back their shots, and Ford leaned back. He knew deep down he couldn’t and

wouldn’t fight the need to be with Talia, but there was that uncertainty that he had always carried, and

he hated that ten years later he was still holding onto these unnecessary emotions.

“You need to forget about Mina and how she ruined you, and focus on the future, Ford.”

He looked at Bram.

“I can’t wait until you find your mate, Bram. Man, I’m going give you such a hard time ‘cause

I already know you’ll be crawling on your hands and knees to please her.” Charlie’s words had Ford

laughing even though he wasn’t feeling very amused at the moment. He thought about Talia, and

everything Charlie said.

“Charlie?” The sound of a very tired Ary pierced the air. Charlie was out of his seat and by Ary

as she came walking into the kitchen. She wore a t-shirt and a pair of pajama bottoms. The swell of

her belly was evident, and Ford found himself smiling at the prospect of being an uncle. It still

stunned Ford that Charlie was going to be a father. He’d never thought his eldest brother would settle

down, but when it came to Ary he was protective and extremely territorial. Ford could see Charlie’s

bear rise to the surface every time his mate was near, and Ford knew he was the same way with Talia.

He felt the need to be with her, protect her from any assholes that wanted to fuck with her, and make

sure she always felt safe. Charlie stood and walked toward his mate, and Ford watched with a pang in

his chest as Charlie embraced Ary.

Feeling like he was intruding on their personal moment, Ford stood and motioned Bram to

follow. They said their goodbyes, and when they were in the truck and headed down the road, Ford

knew he wouldn’t deny him or his bear what they really wanted, and that was
his
little redhead Talia

Landon. Fuck his demons and hang-ups, and fuck Mina for making him feel for all these years that he

wasn’t worthy of claiming his mate.

Talia gritted her teeth for the fifth time in the last ten minutes. Mina, with her haughty attitude,

was busy scolding the barista on the fact they didn’t top her cappuccino with nutmeg. She turned away

from the human who thought she was so much better than everyone else, and looked around the coffee

shop. It was hard not to think about the first time she’d stepped in here. She had been humiliated and

aroused over her coffee spill, but then she had met Ford and fallen instantly in lust. She had thought

maybe being with him sexually might have eased her arousal for him, but it had the opposite effect.

Here she was in a constant state of desire, not able to get the image out of her mind of him over her,

thrusting deep and hard and sending her over the edge multiple times. Her clit throbbed, her nipples

beaded, and she cursed her body for having this kind of reaction to a man whom she’d had a one-night

stand with, and that was what it had been. They hadn’t exchanged numbers, and he hadn’t asked to see

her again, so she needed to get it through her head that there wasn’t going to be another time with Ford

Wylde, as crappy as that was.

“God, I swear these people are still as incompetent as ever in this town.” Mina took a sip of her

cappuccino and made a face. “It certainly isn’t from Marco’s, but it’s going to have to do.” They sat at

one of the small tables, and Mina pulled out a very thick leather book.

If not for Luke asking her to go with Mina today Talia would have been somewhere else,

somewhere that didn’t feel like that seventh level of hell.

“Okay, so I know Kimberly should have been setting this up, but I have her working on

something more important, and I figure you really aren’t doing anything anyway.”

Talia gritted her teeth and counted backward from ten. “Excuse me—” Before she could finally

tell Mina a piece of her mind the bitch cut her off with a wave of her hand.

“Okay, so here it is.” Mina flipped through the book until she got to the page that had

“HONEYMOON” sprawled in big black letters. “So, I need you make out an itinerary for the

honeymoon. I want to make sure we don’t miss anything once we arrive in France.” Apparently

Kimberly, Mina’s second-in-command, who was nearly as bad as her soon to be bitch-in-law, was far

too superior to do the grunt work.

Talia looked at the book and then back at Mina. Was this bitch for real? “You want me to make

a list of all the things you plan on sightseeing while in France?” It appeared Talia was the lowest on

the totem pole and therefore got to do the shit jobs. And who in the hell needed someone else to plan

out their sightseeing?

“Well, I mean I know your schedule is pretty much free, what with you out of college and not

working.” The pleasantly condescending tone that Mina gave her, coupled with the smile that had

“bitch” written all over it had Talia snapping.
Oh hell no.

“Oh. My. God.” Mina’s breathy, almost dreamy words had Talia closing her mouth. Mina’s

gaze was over Talia’s shoulder, and curiosity had her looking at what had seemingly changed Mina to

a love-struck teenager. At first all she saw was a younger human male kissing a young woman, but

when those two moved to the side her heart stopped. Ford and another man who looked strikingly

similar to him stepped into the café. Of course he looked exactly the same, so damn sexy and his alpha

bear pouring from him. He was speaking to the man he had come in with, but she watched in rapt awe

as he stopped, lifted his head, and inhaled deeply. Everything else faded as his gaze scanned the coffee

shop before finally settling on her. For a long moment all they did was stare at each other, and Talia’s

intense arousal rose up like a raging wildfire. There was a flash of heat behind his bright blue eyes,

and she knew his lust was just as strong as hers. It didn’t seem like three days ago that he dropped her

off, because everything rushed back and she found herself back in his room with his sweat slicked

body over hers and his dick buried deep inside of her. Blinking a few times to clear her mind, she took

in his face, one that was cut and bruised, and yet she hadn’t even noticed right away. He moved his

gaze away from hers, and a dark expression crossed his face as he focused on something over her

head. The man beside him shifted on his feet and leaned in to murmur something to Ford. He shook

his head forcefully twice and waved off the other man.

Ford moved closer toward her, and Talia’s palms started to sweat. She swore she could smell

his bear, that wild and untamed scent that drove her absolutely mad. Several other shifters in the

coffee shop stopped what they were doing, moved out of his way, and stared at Ford approaching her.

The humans might not be able to smell that Ford was dangerously close to shifting, or that he was

aroused and angry all in the same breath, but every shifter in there, including her, was drunk off of it.

It was all she could smell and feel move through her body since she had been with him. He stopped in

front of her, and she could see the vibrant blue of his eyes. He held her gaze, and a flash of darkness

from his bear starting to emerge turned the almost unreal color black. Slowly standing, they stared at

each other, but as she opened her mouth to say “hello” or maybe even “I haven’t stopped thinking

about you since we parted ways” Mina spoke from behind her.

“Ford.” The way Mina said his name reminded Talia of a lover’s embrace. She took a step to

the side so she could see her, and the lust pouring off the other female was potent and suffocating.

“It’s been a long time.”

Mina had since gotten up from her seat and now stood right beside her. She turned back and

looked at Ford, but her powerful bear was no longer looking at her, and instead had his full attention

on Mina. A muscle under his cheek ticked, and it was then, as she looked between her brother’s

fiancée and the male who had consumed her so ferociously she couldn’t even think straight, that

everything clicked into place. Their reaction to each other, although subtle, had Talia’s fox bristling.

Could it be that they had been lovers, that Mina was the female who had broken Ford’s heart? The

very thought sickened her, and her stomach roiled. God, what were the freaking odds of that? Mina

took another step forward and now stood directly in front of Talia, blocking Ford’s wide, muscular

chest from her view.

“God, it has been far too long.” Mina’s voice was soft, but there was no mistaking the longing

and even arousal that was laced in the words. If Talia could sense it, no doubt Ford did as well. “You

wouldn’t believe how much I’ve missed you.” Mina took one more step forward until her and Ford’s

chests almost brushed together. Why wasn’t he moving away? He looked uncomfortable, but he had a

tight lockdown on his emotions since Talia couldn’t pick up any scent. Talia should say something,

anything, but it was like the words refused to come forth. Besides, she was nobody in the grand

scheme of things. She thought Ford had been coming over to talk to her, but he hadn’t said anything

and now seemed to be ignoring her. She cleared her throat and looked down, suddenly feeling very

uncomfortable and out of place. Yes, there was no doubt in her mind they had been lovers, but the

question was how close had they been? There was also anger burning right below the surface, causing

Talia’s red fox to snarl. This was the human that was to marry her brother in just a week’s time, yet

here she was, standing before Ford with so much lust pouring out of her it thickened the air around

them like a heavy, strangling blanket. Talia lifted her gaze once more and saw the man that had come

with Ford rubbing the back of his neck as if he, too, felt the uncomfortable feeling that surrounded

everyone. He still stood right by the door, and it was as if he refused to come any closer. His face was

also pretty beat up, with a healing black eye and a cut above his cheek. Had the two males been

fighting each other? That was really the least of her worries, but right now she needed the distraction.

Feeling Mina’s stare, Talia turned back toward the human. The burning question at the forefront of

Talia’s mind was, “who was Mina to Ford?”

“I’m going to need some privacy, Talia,” said Mina.

Talia locked her jaw, her anger, hurt, and discomfort a violent wave inside of her. Talia looked

back at Ford, and was stunned to see him staring at her with so much raw pain that it actually had her

taking a step back. But the truth was he didn’t ask her to stay, didn’t ask her to leave with him, and

instead stood there with that ferocious mask on his face.

“Ford and I go way back, and I would like to catch up.”

Ford cleared his throat, and a pulse came from him of apology, denial, and truth. He opened his